Chiropractic in an Integrative Cancer Center

As part of our continuing series of interviews with chiropractors who work in integrative settings, we visit Jeffrey Sklar, DC, a full-time staff chiropractor with Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Sklar, who previously co-founded an integrative wellness center, has been with CTCA since 2009.

In addition to his professional experience with oncology patients, Dr. Sklar has witnessed the struggle and success of cancer survivors in his personal life. His mother and brother are both cancer survivors. His stepmother is also a three-time survivor and former co-chair of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Philadelphia.

Sklar speaks highly of CTCA’s whole-person approach to cancer care in which body, mind and spirit each play an important role. At CTCA, he says, “Every patient has an opportunity to collaborate with their oncologist and explore additional complementary therapies in conjunction with their conventional cancer treatments.”

Please tell us about Cancer Treatment Centers of America, its origins and its mission.

After his mother died of bladder cancer, businessman Richard J Stephenson was disappointed with the quality of care and options that his mother received. To keep his mother’s memory and spirit alive, Mr. Stephenson vowed to change the face of cancer care. He founded Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in 1988.

Mr. Stephenson’s goal in creating CTCA was to provide the very best traditional cancer treatments, along with complementary therapies to heal the whole person. Looking at chiropractic, for example, not as an alternative but as an adjunct to help people who are fighting cancer, to reduce pain and other symptoms and to maximize and optimize function. So can we eradicate cancer? That would be awesome. But if we can improve quality of life, extend life and put people into remission, that’s the goal. Our goal is to get people back to the productive, quality lives they enjoyed before their cancer diagnosis.

From what you’ve seen, what are the benefits of a holistic, integrative approach to cancer?